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ObservationFree download from www.hsrcpress.ac.zaA single solid line between concepts — for example between the constructachievement (c4) and the achievement test (C2) — indicates a relatively wellestablishedrelation between postulated achievement and what standardachievement tests measure. The single solid lines between Cl and C2 andbetween measures C2 and C3 indicate obtained relations between the testscores of these measures... (coefficient of correlation r).The broken single lines indicate postulated relations between constructs thatare not relatively well established. A good example of this is the postulatedrelation between self-concept and achievement motivation. One of the aims ofscience is to make these broken lines solid lines by bridging the operationaldefinition — measurement gap (1973: 33-34).At the beginning of our discussion of statements we indicated that statementsalways have to be either true or false. It is, however, clear from the examplesthat we have presented that it is rather strange to talk about definitions in termsof them being true or false. Because theoretical and operational definitions areembedded in theories and models, it is customary rather to refer to thetheoretical validity of theoretical definitions, and the measurement validity ofoperational definitions (compare chapter 3).Definition always concerns delimiting the meaning (connotative anddenotative) of concepts. The validity of a definition is, in the final analysis,dependent upon the accuracy of the manner in which it is delimited.133

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